News

Although little difference exists in outcomes between broad-spectrum and narrow-spectrum antibiotics for children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), narrow-spectrum agents are associated with a shorter hospital stay, according to a recent study, and, not incidentally, help to minimize the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Although almost one-half of parents say they would let their children participate in clinical trials, only about 5% of children actually do so, according to a recent survey.

Computer-based cognitive training programs that claim to improve things such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and academic and social success in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) probably don’t live up to those promises.

While experts have known that maternal-preterm infant contact produces highly beneficial short-term effects on preemies’ physiology, psychology, and behavior, a new study shows that early and consistent touching between mother and child produces benefits that span the first 10 years of life and potentially beyond.

Girls approaching puberty may need to avoid a diet high in saturated animal fats to reduce their chances of developing breast cancer later in life.

Waiting to introduce solid foods until infants are at least 17 weeks of age and continuing breastfeeding after the introduction of solids reduces the likelihood that children will develop food allergies.

Preventive health care services, including dental and vision benefits, will now be available under the ACA to millions of previously uninsured children.

A new study demonstrates that passive exposure to cigarette smoke increases how much pain children perceive during an invasive medical procedure.

An investigation of the combined risks of adolescence, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and driving while engaged in texting or cell phone conversation found that while distractions significantly impair the driving performance of all adolescents, the negative effects of texting are especially prominent in youngsters with ADHD.

Does vitamin D reduce acute otitis episodes in children who are prone to them?

We caught up with Jae H. Kim, MD, PhD, associate clinical professor of pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, via a Google Hangout, for key takeaways from his neonatal presentation at AAP 2013 in Orlando.

Questions now address medical ethics regarding risk in clinical care versus risk in research.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is an increasingly recognized condition in children and adults that may mimic gastroesophageal reflux but that does not respond to acid suppression. Current treatment focuses on dietary modification and topical corticosteroids. However, future studies are needed to better define this disease’s natural history and to identify effective therapies for children and adults.

Buffeted by a perfect storm of regulatory, fiscal, and technology factors, many pediatricians are voting with their feet.

The frightened mother of a vigorous, healthy 14-day-old girl brings her daughter to you for an urgent consultation regarding a facial rash that has blossomed since a few subtle spots were noted at birth. What’s your diagnosis?

Making the appropriate diagnosis is critical to the optimal use of antibiotics in children who have upper respiratory tract infections (URIs), according to a new clinical report.

You may not need to operate on every child with acute appendicitis. New research suggests that antibiotics and inpatient observation may be all that are required.

A new study shows that children who survive cancer may face another battle-heart disease.

Fewer than half of all adolescents with psychiatric disorders receive treatment, and many that do receive treatment in a setting where specialist mental health training is unlikely to exist.

A new study raises a question about whether too many antireflux procedures (ARP) are performed on children during a period of infancy when frequent regurgitation is normal and when already ambiguous measures of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are difficult to interpret at best.

Amateur photographs taken with equipment no more specialized than a digital camera or smartphone can detect retinoblastoma in children’s eyes early in the course of disease.

President Obama recently signed into law the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act to enable school personnel to better react to children having emergent asthma attacks or severe allergy reactions.

Infants who die suddenly and unexpectedly, in what are considered to be safe and unsafe sleeping situations, have something in common-an underlying brainstem abnormality, according to recent research.

A new study has found that if you assume parents will cooperate when it comes to vaccinating their children, many will, whereas if you appear to give them a choice, many more won’t.

Guidelines for preventing and treating HIV/AIDS-related opportunistic infections (OIs) in children recently received a facelift. Government agencies and industry associations banded together to update recommendations previously published in 2009.

It seems that signs of autism may surface in infants aged as young as 2 months, which would be the earliest known indicator of social disability, according to a recent study.

Hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths of children with gunshot wounds (GSWs) are increasing, up 81% and 59%, respectively, from 1997 to 2009.

With the prevalence of, and prescriptions for, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rising steeply in the past decade, experts are looking at whether current diagnostic practices and definitions are helping or hindering the situation.